


Walking by Moonlight

by Parakeet12



Series: Luzriel Oneshots [2]
Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Angst, Azrien, Fluff, Luzriel, M/M, Night Court - Freeform, Some angst, Velaris, some sad thoughts not to bad though, they both need to be happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 08:05:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14807495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Parakeet12/pseuds/Parakeet12
Summary: Lucien goes on a walk a few days after arriving in the Night Court. He runs into Azriel, and maybe he can learn about the city, court, and himself.Luzriel relationship.Disclaimer: Sarah J Mass owns the characters





	Walking by Moonlight

It had been a long, long time since Lucien had seen a city, or a place, like Velaris. He had been here a few days - wanting to talk to Elain, walking around the city, reading (gods, it had been forever since he’d actually been able to read) and skirting around what Feyre and Rhysand called their ‘Inner Circle’. 

The city, though. The citizens, high fae and lesser fairies alike, seemed happy. Recovering, yes. But happy. He’d actually helped one of the citizens rebuild her front porch as he was walking by. She had been struggling, and he’d been walking by, and suddenly he’d been helping her lift the wooden plank. She’d thanked him, and he’d brushed the apology off, and two hours later she had the beginnings of a working porch and he was still there. 

It had been nice to talk to a Night Court citizen and a resident of Velaris. As it turned out, she’d been the daughter of a merchant who also lived in Velaris, but had become a musician instead. She played in one of the theaters nightly, and her house had been damaged by magic in the fight. 

Also interesting, she hadn't known who he was. Hadn’t even known his connection to Feyre. She’d been impressed when he said he was a son of the Autumn Court, and had heard the short, unemotional version of his story, but hadn’t really judged him for it. She nodded, and moved on. It had been quite refreshing. He’d asked about the city, and about Rhysand and Feyre, and she basically told him that she didn’t know Feyre yet, but Rhysand had always been fair and kind. 

He’d left shortly after that, and even though the sun was going down, he’d kept walking. The city fascinated him, it’s people, it’s markets and artists. 

In fact, the city itself had won him over already. It seemed lovely. 

The inner circle, however, was confusing. Feyre was so different from the woman he’d known. Powerful, more loving and free, but somehow colder. More willing to cross lines. He’d always assumed that Rhysand was evil with something evil underneath. Now, he didn't know what to think. He seemed better than Lucien had previously thought. But he knew, more than anyone - there’s a limit of how much can a man pretend to be something or someone else without it becoming a concrete part of him. Rhysand had crossed that limit. Amren, the monster in the closet from his childhood was there. She seemed like the cranky old aunt of the group, yet like she was made from unreadable steel. Morrigan seemed breezy and light, but like she hid pain underneath. Cassian just seemed like the loud, obnoxious type that was way too invested in Feyre’s oldest sister. Azriel, who seemed more unreadable than Amren. He was incredibly handsome, but … there was something that he couldn’t place behind his eyes. At least it felt like Amren said what she meant. Azriel could be voicing the opinion he hated most, and you’d never know. His shadows moved up and down like a second layer of skin. Lucien was an Emissary - he read people for a job. But he just couldn’t get read on Azriel. 

And then there was Elain. His mate. She was quiet. All he knew of her was what he’d gotten from Feyre. She was sweet. She was nice. She was a gardener. She was the one that both Nesta and Feyre had alway protected. She was beautiful. He could see that with his own eyes, the one time he’d seen her. 

He’d always believed in love though. Believed that beyond mates, beyond some preordained matchup, that people could fall in love. Be in love. For a short time, he’d lived in love. 

In his thoughts, he’d wandered into a park. There were trees, and some benches, a pond in the middle. It was by the musician’s quarter, and the orchestra’s music floated down into it. He wandered the paths, still caught up in his thoughts, but enjoying the park. That’s why he kept walking, not noticing the person coming, and walked straight into him. 

When he collided with a the man, he registered two things at the same time. One, the male was tall. Two, the male was very well muscled - it was like walking into a wall. 

He staggered backwards, as did the other male. 

“I’m sorry.” He gasped. 

“I wasn’t looking where I was going. I’m sorry.” The male said. Lucien finally looked up, and seeing the wings and shadows, recognized who it was. Azriel looked at him at the same time, his eyes widening in surprise. 

“Azriel. I mean -” Lucien was cut off when he realized that he didn’t know Azriel’s title, and that he was speaking. 

“Lucien.” He said. His voice was deep. 

“I -um.” Lucien replied elegantly. “I’m sorry. Do you have a title?” He blurted out. 

Azriel looked even more surprised. “Spymaster or Shadowsinger, I suppose. But we don’t use titles, and you don’t need to either. Unless you’d prefer to be called by yours - ” 

“No.” He said quietly. “No Lord - No Vanserra. No Emissary, not anymore.” He had no doubt that the moment he’d left with Feyre he’d forfeited that position. “Just Lucien.”

Azriel nodded. “Lucien then. I’m Azriel.”

He nodded, unsure about what to say next. So, he studied him - the Iryllian warrior was taller than him, but only by a few inches. His hair was dark. The planes of his face were elegant, and his dark blue siphons glowed in the moonlight, and lit him up with a soft blue light. 

Luckily, Azriel spoke first. “What were you doing here? It’s pretty late.” 

Lucien shrugged. “Walking. Thinking mostly. You?” 

“Thinking.” He said. 

“You sure it isn’t brooding?” Lucien asked. Oh well. He never was able to bite his tongue anyway. Azriel had looked like he was brooding. 

Azriel stared at him for a few seconds, before his head tipped back and he laughed. A deep laugh, that seemed real.“Only on the bad days. But the same could be said of you.” He looked back at Lucien expectantly. 

“Oh, I have no shame.” He said. “I was definitely brooding.” 

“What about?” Azriel asked, an as soon as he did he winced. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you have plenty to brood about.” 

“Yeah.” He said dryly, before sighing and relenting. “It’s fine. I uh - for the moment, it was Elain.” He paused, unwilling at the moment to give more information, but they both started walking down the path. The trees and moonlight created patterns on the sidewalk, much like the ones creeping across Azriel’s skin. “You’ve never been this talkative before.” He remarked. 

Azriel paused, as if he was weighing something. “I find groups - even my closest friends - hard to deal with. It’s….easier, somehow, one on one.” Azriel’s face betrayed nothing, despite his words. 

“I don’t know what to do about Elain.” he said. He knew he shouldn’t have, but something made him trust the spymaster. “I’ve always believed in love. Maybe that’s silly, or naive, but….I don’t love her. I’m not sure I’ll ever find it in me to be in love with her. She’s my mate, but….” He trailed off. 

“I don’t think that’s silly.” Was all that Azriel said, turning his head to look at him. 

They kept walking, music floating down from the music hall. Azriel switched the subject, on to the Summer Court, and their previous visit. The blood rubies, and how to maybe ally with them. They talked for a long while, and Lucien found himself slipping easily into Azriel’s conversation. They moved on, just talking. Azriel was quiet but quick, jumping into jokes and sass as easily as he did silence. And it may be foolish, but Lucien liked Azriel. Liked the person he saw before him. 

“I don’t -” Lucien stopped, cutting Azriel off from his comment on Velaris. He shouldn’t continue, he knew that, but frankly, he had no one else in this world who’d talk to him. He looked down, but not quickly enough to see Azriel’s worried look at him. “I don’t think she deserves to have someone like me as a mate.” He said, finishing his previous statement. He still wasn’t brave enough to look up. “It’d be better for her if I left, didn’t see her. She deserves someone better.” 

“Why do you say that?” Azriel’s voice was deathly quiet. Lucien didn’t even care anymore. 

“Because I’m broken.” His voice, even to him, just sounded disgusted. “I’m covered in scars, visible and not, and each is more ugly than the last - each one covering a wound that's festering and dangerous.” 

“Do these scars make me ugly? Do my, as you call them, non-visible scars make me ugly? Because believe me, I have them too.” Az said. He lifted his hand for Lucien to see. The ridges and whorls looked like burns. Lucien didn’t see how anyone could see any of Azriel ugly, much less his hands. 

“No! Of course not Azriel -” 

“Then,” he said quietly, “yours do not make you ugly either. In fact,” He lifted his hand up to Lucien’s hair and stroked down, until he was cupping Lucien’s face lightly. “They make you beautiful.” 

Lucien closed his eyes as he felt Azriel’s lips, a little rough, on his own. They kissed lightly, before Az pulled back, but still kept his hand on Lucien’s jaw. He spoke first.

“We’re in a impossible situation. And I don’t know what this is...but I like it. And i’d like to try it.” Azriel looked softer than Lucien had ever seen him. 

Lucien smiled softly. His problems were not solved, not by a long shot. But, he had already told secrets to a spy, just because of who he was. Because he liked who he was. Maybe this, whatever it was, wouldn’t hurt either. Maybe he could learn to read him. “I’d like that, Az.”

**Author's Note:**

> Wow! I really enjoyed writing this - I hope you enjoyed reading it just as much! Please feel free to comment :).


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